"Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and
enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when
it is full-grown, gives birth to death." (James 1:14-15 NIV)
"The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast.
He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly." (Prov
5:22-23 NIV)
Imagine biking on a hot summer day. The sweltering heat and the lead-heavy air
soon have you sweating profusely, and as your energy evaporates away with your
perspiration, you wonder if you ever will reach your destination. Your throat is
raw with thirst, and your water bottle is empty. There's just no way you can go
on much longer!
All of a sudden your bicycle wheels squeal to a stop. On your right is a lake, a
golden lake with crystal waters lapping against the sand. As you stare at it,
you begin to contemplate just how delightful it would be to swim in those golden
waters.
There's only one problem: A warning sign reads, "KEEP OUT! DANGER!"
You look from the sign to the water. Danger? You don't see anything dangerous
about this little lake. Why would someone post a danger sign on the shore of
such an inviting body of water?
As you look back to the sign, you notice some smaller letters written underneath
the original warning. In fact, they are so small that you can hardly read them:
The price of your transgression is death! You wonder briefly about those little
letters, but not for long, for soon you notice that there are similar signs
posted all around the lake. As you stare at the warnings, a voice begins
screaming loudly in your ear: "Who cares! Anybody would take a dip in such an
inviting lake in a day like this!"
You can't seem to ignore the voice, and soon you find yourself taking off your
sweat-soaked shirt and laying it carefully on the grass. "Maybe it will dry out
in the sun!" You tell yourself as you pull off your shoes. Then the moment
you've been anticipating has arrived: You step into those clear, cool waters.
Oh! It's as refreshing as you had imagined! In fact, your skin seems to burst
with delight, and as you dip down under the water, you feel energy flowing back
into your body. Wow! What an amazing thing cool water is!
You begin to swim, and you soon find yourself in the middle of the lake. Here
you begin treading water as you contemplate what a beautiful little lake this
is. Then one of those warning signs catches your eye, and you begin to laugh:
"What a stupid sign! Nothing is wrong with this lake!"
Suddenly you feel a sharp pain coming from your leg. As you look down through
the cloud of red liquid that seems to be coming from your body, you notice some
kind of a fish swimming away with a piece of your thigh! Before your realize it,
more of these fatal fish are attaching themselves to different parts of your
body! The pain is overwhelming! In fact, you can't seem to move at all!
It doesn't take long for you to become accustomed to the pain, however; and soon
you begin to reason with yourself: "At least I am not dying from heat
exhaustion!" The thought briefly crosses your mind that you must look pretty
funny with all of those fish hanging from every part of your body. You have a
few brief moments where you feel bad about what is happening to you, but you
just can't seem to find the energy to move out of harm's way.
As the fish, which you now recognize as piranhas, continue to take bites out of
your flesh, you are gradually reduced to a skeleton. Again you remember the
warning signs, and this time you have to ask: "Was it worth ignoring the
warning?"
Sin is devastating! One step into sin and there is no stepping back. It eats you
up, bit by bit, transforming you into someone no one can recognize, a skeleton
devoid of any true life, beyond hope, sweltering in its own lust.
I heard about a man who left his wife for a younger woman. He became so consumed
by his lust that when his children came to visit him, he could not even remember
their names. Can you imagine not even being able to remember the names of your
own children???
Friends, there is no hope for the sinner!
Unless, that is, they get to know the One who brings life!
"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10 NIV)
Only Jesus can set the sinner free: "So if the Son sets you free, you will be
free indeed." (John 8:36 NIV)
Come to Him and let Him set you free. Is that lake of temptation worth your
eternal soul?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.